


The night air tastes like freedom

by Ryxl



Category: Batman: The Animated Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2013-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-28 16:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/676536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryxl/pseuds/Ryxl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of short-ish scenes sketching out a divergent timeline in which Selina Kyle did not go back to crime. The major divergence point happens midway through the episode 'Catwalk' - after that, it's just a handful of events I wrote between calls at work and while re-watching the series. Just enough that you know where the timeline is going.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Zoo revelation

**Author's Note:**

> The events of 'Tyger, Tyger' may or may not have happened after this, despite the event mirroring the zoo visit from that episode. If you choose to believe they did, just imagine that Selina was returned to human form before the next chapter.

The tiger opens one glorious golden eye, looks at me, and his tail curls up and down again in recognition of a kindred spirit. He yawns, stretches, and pads sulkily to a more shady patch of ground before curling up again, back to me and the rest of the zoo visitors watching.

“Selina, are you okay?”

Startled, I look up to see concern on Bruce’s face, his chocolate ice cream cone half-eaten while my vanilla soft-serve is dripping, untouched. Daintily, I lap at it until I’m no longer in danger of sticky fingers.

“You look…intense. Is something wrong?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

My gaze returns to the gold and black form sulking in the shade, and Bruce follows it. “Maybe the zoo wasn’t such a good idea. I’m sorry, Selina. I thought you’d like seeing the big cats.”

“I do, Bruce, it’s just…I know how they must feel. Kept in an enclosure, unable to go where they please…” My other hand curls into a fist on the cement wall separating human from feline.

“But…”

“Oh, Bruce, _tell_ me I’m not in a cage now. You don’t know what it’s like. Catwoman was more than just a costume, she was…my soul. My inner self. To never be able to go back to that…” I can only guess at what’s on my face, from how serious he looks. “I feel like I’m going crazy. Every time I look out my windows, my fingers itch to throw them open, to leap out into the night and run free.”

“What’s stopping you?” Bruce asks carefully.

“You _know_ what’s stopping me. The judge said-“

_But I’m warning you, Ms. Kyle. If you_ ever _don your Catwoman costume again to violate the law…_

_To violate the law…violate the law…violate the law…_

I realize that my mouth is open and ice cream has dripped onto my fingers, but I don’t care.

“Oh, Bruce, I could kiss you!”

He represses the flash of hope that flared briefly in his eyes, and gives me a sheepish grin instead. “What did I do?”

My ice cream falls to the ground; let the seagulls have it. Overjoyed by this realization, I throw my arms around Bruce’s neck and kiss him soundly on the cheek. The judge’s words will be on record; as long as I keep my nighttime prowls innocent, they can’t take Catwoman away from me.


	2. Bruce and Selina go to lunch, take three

“Ms. Kyle, you have a visitor. A Mr. Bruce Wayne…”

“Send him up,” I tell the doorman through the intercom, then make sure the door to the elevator’s entry hall room is unlocked.

There’s enough time to haul another suitcase around to the master bedroom before the elevator delivers my visitor. How did he know I’d moved, and where to? He must have been to my old apartment first. This penthouse was expensive, but not as much as it could have been. The neo-Japanese style, rooms arranged in a square with a central garden taking up half the square footage, failed to attract a buyer, and the garden got more and more overgrown until it resembled a patch of wilderness transplanted onto a Gotham high-rise. Perfect for me. I lavish a smile on Isis, sleeping in her basket, as I pass. My precious kitty needs to be able to prowl, and I won’t risk her in the concrete jungle again.

“Hello?”

I set the suitcase down and hurry back in time to see Isis twine around Bruce’s ankles. Purring. My baby is so standoffish around other people that she doesn’t even purr for Maeven, and she didn’t care one way or the other for Bruce the last time he visited…but that was before the viral plague, and Batman nursing her back to health.

Humans are easy to fool. New clothes, change your voice, slouch. A bit of acting, and you’re a new person. Cats aren’t so easy to fool. Now that I know what to look for, I can see where the suit changes the lines of his body…his magnificent body. I’m glad he’s distracted by crouching to pet my cat, because I need a minute to think things through. My first instinct is to throw myself into his arms. My second is to hiss at him for being two-faced about this. He destroys my secret, and then expects me to roll over and play nice for his alter-ego? Or maybe he thinks he’s doing the honorable thing by taking his interest out of the shadows.

“Bruce. What a pleasant surprise.” My voice is just slightly stilted, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“Selina!” He straightens and offers me the roses his body had been hiding. “She’s lovely, but not as lovely as you.”

“Flatterer.” I kneel and collect my purring cat, then stand and take the roses. “I’d put them in water, but I’m afraid the place is still a disaster area.”

“Maeven said you’d been holed up here for a few days. I thought maybe I could stop by and try to talk you into some lunch.”

_More than you’ll ever know_ , the memory of Batman’s voice taunts me.

“Sure. I think the fresh air will do me good, and I could use some time to think about things.”


	3. Cats need to prowl

The night breeze is sweet on my face as I run, leap, and climb, reveling in my freedom, losing myself in sheer physical expression. Then I see a shadow not cast by any light, and my joyful frolic becomes a race against fear. I’m not running anywhere in particular, just trying to lose him. Up, down, across, in and out, and then I’m running across a rooftop alone with no shadow dogging my steps or pacing me. Just when I think I’ve won, he looms up in my path and I leap aside, twisting mid-air to evade his grasp.

“Wait.”

The word arrests my motion towards the edge I was about to fling myself off of. Part of me wants to give him a flirty come-on, but with how he’s been shadowing me the last few weeks – always letting me see him, never saying a word nor letting me get close enough to utter one – I am disinclined to make this easy on him. Let’s see how he deals with a sulky cat. When I turn to face him, it is with defiance and I can see him scowl unhappily. Good, at least neither of us are happy about this.

His eyes narrow behind the mask. “Where’s Isis?”

“I left her at home. The streets of Gotham are too dangerous to risk my precious baby a third time.”

“Then what are you doing out here?”

I stretch languidly, insolently. “A cat needs to prowl every now and then, no matter how domesticated she appears to be.”

“That’s why you bought that penthouse.” It’s not a question. I nod, and his posture relaxes somewhat. “You left something behind on one of your earlier romps,” he says, walking over to me. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to return it.”

“What-“ the question is cut off deliciously by his lips on mine, one hand on the small of his back and the other between my shoulderblades. When it ends, my hands are greedily spread across his glorious chest and I can see him smirk beneath the mask. “Mmmmm, you keep it.”

He makes no motion to evade me as I take a step closer and raise my lips to his again. The hand high on my back moves as though he were stroking my hair.

“Can I trust you to behave?” he asks once we separate again.

“I won’t do anything to endanger my freedom.” Or moments like this, but I won’t tell him that. I’d go stir-crazy in jail, and I think he knows that.

His hands close on my wrists. “Selina. I need to know that you’re not going to violate your parole, even if you won’t get caught.”

So that’s why he’s been following me. As uptight about the law as he is, it must be driving him crazy to have a lady friend whose ethics he can’t trust.

“As long as I can get out to prowl every now and then, I’ll be a good kitty,” I say bitterly, meeting the eyeholes of his mask squarely. “I promise.”

“No little thefts to fund your organization?”

“You know the saying about any publicity being good publicity. Since the trial, donations and sponsors haven’t been lacking. We’re on solid financial footing now. We’re even negotiating with Wayne Industries.”

The name doesn’t get a reaction out of him. Hardly surprising.

“No…stunts…to get my attention?”

I grin. “I can’t promise that, but I do promise that I’ll stay on the right side of the law.”

“I’ll settle for that.” He grins back. “One more thing. If you find something that needs to be investigated-“

“-I’ll alert the police if I can’t pass it on to you.”

“Thank you.”

He lets go of my wrists, brushing my cheek with one hand before taking off without a word.


	4. You do care

The hushed chatter gives him away before he knocks on my door, a dozen red roses preceding him.

“I thought you’d be here, Selina.”

I don’t look up from my typing. “It’s Valentine’s Day, Bruce. Don’t you have a ball to attend? Date to auction off?”

“You never replied to my invitation.”

He sits on the edge of my desk. The suit does a good job of masking the lines of his body, but it can’t hide the way he moves. His romantic overtures, while still rare, have gotten slightly more common since our last, teasing chase – the thrill of the hunt, blood pounding hard enough that when he caught me, pressed me against rough brick, I tasted sweat on his upper lip before he pulled back, reining in the beast. Luckily, Wayne Industries has always been as much of a friend to nature as a corporation that big can be, so the closer business relationship hasn’t drawn any attention.

Yet.

 “Sorry, but my evenings have been packed solid for the last month.” I don’t sound sorry, but that won’t deter him.

“How about next week? Can you pencil in dinner one night?” He drops the tone of false cheer. “Selina, we need to talk.”

My fingers still on the keys. That was Batman’s voice. Is he that dense? Doesn’t he get it? “You’re right,” I say crisply. “We need to talk. Meet me at the corner of Seventh and Pine at two-forty-five. I’ll wear the same little number I was wearing when we first met.”

His eyes narrow slightly as he catches my drift. “And I’ll wear my suit.” He offers me the flowers again. “It’s a date, then?”

A long moment passes before I take the bouquet and lay it on the windowsill behind me. “I’ll see you then,” is all I say.

The hushed chatter follows him out of the building.

 

*************************

 

The wind cries as it cuts around the corner, and the night is still. At first I think I beat him here, but then one of the shadows opens its eyes and steps forward.

“You knew,” he accuses, voice hard.

“Of course I did.”

“Then why-“

“-have I been turning down Bruce Wayne’s advances?” Hands on my hips challenge him to protest the phrasing. “I know you don’t carry your brains in that rippling chest, so why don’t you tell me?”

The mask’s eyes narrow. “You think there’s something improper about him courting you? Don’t try to pretend you’re not attracted to him.”

Well, at least he’s bright enough to not incriminate himself. “Bruce Wayne is a confirmed bachelor. He’s never showed genuine interest in any woman before. Even with as distant as he’s been, it’s just a matter of time before someone notices-“

“-that he’s been trying to court the woman unmasked as Catwoman. Still, there hasn’t been any more illegal activities to mar her image-“

“-but that doesn’t mean certain people have forgotten her continued status as a chink in Batman’s armor.”

He falls silent, fuming, remembering the promise of a case of cat food. If the Joker was clever enough to figure out that my death was a valid way to “get” Batman, then his secret won’t remain so much longer if Bruce and Selina get as friendly as Batman and Catwoman are.

“You used to try to see beneath my mask, but you stopped. Why?”

I reach out and cup his cowled cheek with one needle-gloved hand. “Because I realized that _this_ is the real you, just as this is the real me.”

“Is there no future with the other me, then?” Anger, or perhaps anguish, roughens his voice. “Is this all of you I can have – moments stolen in the night?”

I turn away, crossing my arms. “If you’re going to risk your other identity, you’re going to do it without my help.”

Only the faintest scrape and rustle betray his movement. At first, I think he’s made one of his signature exits, but big hands on my shoulders dissuade me of that notion.

“So you _do_ care,” he says in a voice barely above a whisper.

When I said those words, I wound up in handcuffs, my hopes slain by cold steel. “And, just like you, I’m doing what I think is best for you – for _us_ – even if it’s the exact opposite of what you want.”

The fingers tighten on my shoulders. “You’re not angry about that.”

“You do what you feel you have to do. I don’t believe in caging wild animals.”

The fingers retreat. “This isn’t settled. I haven’t given up on you, but you’re right. I think Bruce Wayne is about to get the hint that Selina…”

“Threw the roses out where her whole office could see it.”

“I don’t think he’ll waste any more time and effort on that front.”

“It’s for the best.”

For another long moment, the silence is broken only by the wind.

“After that last kidnapping attempt, I got a new security system.” I hope he hasn’t left me talking to myself.

“Good.” He pauses briefly. “What company?”

I grin. He’s already trying to figure out if he can hack it, but I’m one step ahead. “Wayne Industries.”

The laugh sounds like Bruce’s, but when I turn around, he’s gone.


	5. Catwalk

"...not just for yourself, you understand, but for all those poor widdle stuffed critters what never had da chance ta fight back..."

The doll looks surprisingly mock-sympathetic, but I don't buy it. "Oh, barf."

Dummy - if that's his name - thrusts the doll out at me. "It's a fifty-fifty cut," the doll says angrily. "Take it or leave it. You in, or what?"

I think for a minute before taking the envelope.

The doll does me the favor of dropping me off at my apartment building. I ride the elevator to the penthouse in silence, greet my cat, open a can of food for her, and watch as she eats daintily. “I’m going out, Isis," I say gently as I stand, leaving the envelope on the counter. "Don't wait up."

"Mrow..." She purrs at my petting and goes back to her dinner.

I retrieve the envelope before I leave, rolling it tight and slipping it under my belt. The night air tastes like freedom as I throw myself from building to building, twirling and leaping and running and climbing in sheer, delicious joy. Finally, I scale the side of my target, being careful to be silent as I search for the right window. When I find it, the room is just as it's been described. I stretch one hand, the ultra-sharp claws extending from my glove, and-

-tap. Tap. Tap.

Commissioner Gordon stands and comes all the way to the window before showing the slightest hint of surprise, but he still opens it. "You're not Batman."

"How kind of you to notice," I joke. "May I come in?"

He moves aside. "Oh, of course."

As I enter, I slide the roll from my belt and offer it to him.

"What's this?" Gordon takes the envelope and opens it cautiously.

"I was approached earlier this evening by a foul-mouthed puppet and his mild-mannered dummy. 'This' is how they planned to set me up and double-cross me - if I'd been foolish enough to take them up on it."

Gordon looks up from the paperwork. "And instead, you bring it to me. Why?"

I cross my arms. "I'm not foolish enough to risk my freedom for some sparkly jewels, and I'm not stupid enough to think _anyone_ has my best interests in mind." A soft but deliberate throat-clearing behind me alerts me to the fact that we're not alone. "...except him."

Batman brushes past, intent on the papers in Gordon's hand. They both read for a moment.

"What do you think?" Batman asks.

Gordon frowns. "We'd have to wait until _here_ to bust them."

Batman grins at me from under his mask. "How'd you like to slip your leash for a little bit tonight?"

"What are you suggesting?"

Gordon looks up. "Follow the plan up to...Isis?"

"My cat."

"...getting discovered, then book it for the exit. Not the trapped one. Get out of that building however you like, as long as it's not damaging anything. We'll take care of the rest."

I frown, but Batman beats me to it. "I'll collect Isis and put her on the roof of the building across the way. She'll be safe."

"No one on this side will know you were involved but me and Batman, and he doesn't give police statements. This won't violate your parole."

Police condoned breaking and entering. I like it. "You've got yourself a willing catspaw, Commissioner."

 

**********************************

 

“You never answered Gordon’s question,” Batman says as we watch the puppet and his minions being led away in handcuffs from the safety of a nearby rooftop. “You could have turned Scarface down. You didn’t have to bring it to the police.”

“I could have, but all that would have done is kept me clean. No one would have known but me and him. I wanted to punish him for trying to use me like that.”

“Aaaaand?”

I sigh. Should have known he’d hear what I wasn’t saying. “And I wanted Veronica to suffer, too.”

He’s silent for a long moment, which is a relief when I expected him to chide me. I guess he agrees.

“Were you tempted by Scarface’s proposition?”

“Risk losing what’s most important to me for pretty stones and petty revenge? Hardly. I know better than that.”

“It was a good plan. You probably wouldn’t have been caught. It wouldn’t have been a significant risk to your probation.”

He’s testing me. Measuring my commitment to staying on the right side of the law. I smile and kiss his cheek. “I wasn’t talking about my freedom.”

It takes him a second for my meaning to sink in, but by then I’m halfway across the roof. By the time he turns around, I’ve already jumped.

 

**********************************

 

He beats me back to my penthouse, naturally. I flick on the living room light to discover his foreboding silhouette standing by the couch. Unperturbed, I slide my hood off and shake out my hair.

“Did you really mean that?” There’s only hard suspicion in his voice and he turns slightly to follow me with his eyes as I slip behind the screen to change. “You value your _cat_ over your freedom?”

Okay, wait. That’s not…why would he think…? Oh. Right. The viral plague incident. I tie the robe’s sash and come out to face his grim but very handsome clenched jaw.

“Yes, but there’s something I value even higher than her life.”

He doesn’t move as I stop in front of him and lay one hand on his chest. “And what’s that?”

My other hand cups his cowled cheek. “This.”

At first, his lips are hard, pressed into a thin line beneath mine. That doesn’t last. They open all of a sudden, and he kisses me with feral hunger, the desperation of a drowning man clutching a life preserver, the mindless gratitude of a man in the desert drinking cool, pure water. He breaks the kiss finally, breathing heavily, one hand in my hair and the other on my hip. For a long moment, Batman simply looks astonished. Then he grins.

“And here I thought cats couldn’t be domesticated.”

I grin right back. “Don’t get me wrong; no cat is every truly tame. There’s always some part of us that’s wild and can’t be caged.”

“I don’t believe in caging wild animals.” The grin fades. “Selina…doesn’t it bother you that we might never be able to have more than this?”

“Not in the slightest.” My fingers trace the symbol on his chest. “You’re the Batman. You don’t let anything stop you when you really want something, and you’ll wait as long as it takes to get it. I’m just the kitty-cat. So I’ll keep playing aloof until it’s safe, and trust you to handle the rest.”

“I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“You deal with freaks and crazies every night; you see the dark side of human nature so much that you forget people aren’t _all_ like that. I’ll never be anything but a predator, and you’re used to the predators being your enemies. I understand.”

He holds me tighter. “I keep thinking you’ll slip back…that one day, I’ll have to cuff you again. Take you to Arkham. Watch as the person I care about is devoured by insanity and resentment. It’s happened before. Or worse – that if I let my guard down, something will happen to you. ”

I nod. It almost happened once, although thankfully not again. 

“Selina…” His hands move to my shoulders and he regards me seriously. “Thank you for being you. After dealing with ‘freaks and crazies’, it’s…refreshing…to think back on your criminal escapades and remember that even though you were on the wrong side of the law, you didn’t have any grandiose delusions or all-consuming obsessions.”

“Why, Batman, are you thanking me for having been a petty cat burglar?”

He answers my grin with one of his own. “Not quite. I’m thanking you for _only_ having been a petty cat burglar. Although…if you hadn’t been on the wrong side of the law, I never would have met the real you and my other self never would have had a chance.”

“Glad I could help.”

We share another sizzling kiss, and he takes his leave. They say crime doesn’t pay, but in my case I think it paid off quite well.


	6. Testing the system

“Ms. Kyle, thank you for meeting with me.” Jonathan Chesterfield offers me his hand. I take it, and allow him to seat me at the small table. He sits, glancing at the menu, then puts it back down. “I couldn’t help overhearing you talking to Mr. Wayne at Veronica’s little bash the other night.”

I’m suddenly grateful that we’re both so paranoid. “Oh?”

“You were telling him about how shoddy the security on the Vreeland jewels was. At first, I laughed it off, but – you _were_ the Catwoman, and you were brought in by Batman himself. That means you were _good_. I’m finishing my new gallery, and hearing your comments made me very nervous about the safety of anything I put there.”

My gaze drops into ‘chilly’. “I’m retired, Mr. Chesterfield. You have nothing to worry about from me.” The menu falls from my hands and I reach for my purse.

“No, wait, that’s not – you have the wrong idea!” he babbles. “I want to hire you!”

I pause. “Hire me?”

“To test my security!”

That gets my attention. “Let me get this straight. You want to pay me to break into your new gallery.”

He nods frantically. “You have an insider’s knowledge. You can tell me where I’ve got holes on the system. Give me a chance to fix them before I open. You can’t be too careful in this town.”

“Alright.” I pick the menu back up. “Let’s talk.”

 

*******************************

 

A faint rustle behind me lets me know I’m not alone on the roof.

“And just _what_ do you think you’re doing?”

I don’t look up from the back window I’m examining. “Not right now, darling. I’m on the clock. Hmmm, wire mesh embedded in the glass, and…” One claw follows the tiny filament. “…yes, hooked into the security system. Excellent. I’ll have to find another way in.”

“Catwoman…” Batman growls threateningly, but I’m already climbing down the side of the building.

“I _told_ you, I’m on the clock. You can come along if you like, just don’t damage anything.”

There, the bathroom window. The glass is clear, there’s no wires, and it’s not even locked. I narrate as much, the tape recorder on my wrist picking up every comment. It’s hardly a challenge to slide the window open and slip inside. It’s a bit trickier for Batman, but his shoulders are deliciously broad. I unlock the bathroom door, and we slip into the hall.

“Rotating cameras – sloppy. An intruder can time his or her motions and slide right by. Motion detectors would be better. Don’t rely on that laser tripwire, either.” I hop over the glowing red line barely visible in the dark.

“Watch out!”

I freeze, and notice the second tripwire at waist height. “…excellent work. The second laser would have caught me.”

Together, we make our way into the gallery, with me narrating our trek every step of the way. I nudge Isis, and she leaps down to pick her way unerringly between the security beams surrounding the pedestal at the center. There’s a glass tube protecting the object on the pedestal, but a bit of makeup in the air illuminates the lasers and it’s the work of half a minute to lift the tube enough for Isis to slip underneath and retreat with her prize. Once she’s resumed her perch, I set the glass down and step back a few paces. A few last comments, and I switch off the recorder.

“You can turn the lights on now, Mr. Chesterfield,” I call.

Batman starts as the lights come on, and my temporary employer steps out of a back room, grinning broadly. “How’d I do, Ms. Kyle?”

“No so well, Mr. Chesterfield.” I toss him the catnip mousie and then the tape. “Listen to that; I kept a running commentary of what could be improved and what was good the way it is.”

He smiles at me. “I can’t thank you enough for this. Listen, can I set up a follow-up visit? Say, three weeks from now?” He’s already pulling out his checkbook. “Give me time to implement your professional suggestions and then see if I missed anything?”

“Tell you what,” I smile. “I’ll come back in three weeks, and if I can’t get the prize without triggering an alarm, I won’t charge anything.”

“That’s good incentive! I’ll send the agreement by in the morning. Now, that was three thousand-“

“Two.” I nod at my silent companion. “Bat discount. He pointed out a few that I missed.”

Chesterfield beams at the stoic Dark Knight and hands me the check before starting another one. “Well then, Batman, which charitable organization do you want this thousand-dollar check made out to?”

Clearly startled, he stammers out the name of a rescue mission and accepts his check. I reclaim Isis’s catnip mousie, and it’s not long before Batman and I are alone on a nearby rooftop.

“Charity?”

Ah, my taciturn guardian of the night. “This two thousand is going to a no-kill animal shelter. I’m not trying to make a profit off of people using Catwoman’s skills. Call it civic service, if you will.”

That takes him by surprise. “I’m sorry. I thought – well, you had Isis with you…”

And I only bring my cat with me for heists. My lips twitch into a smile. “You thought I was slipping. Don’t worry; I made sure everything was written out and the agreement signed by both parties. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you see me doing this again – the idea of Catwoman hiring herself out as a non-profit security consultant is a very enticing one.”

The ghost of a smile brushes his lips. “Just another way to fleece the flock – but at least this time, it’s legal. That’s a very clever solution to the problem of trying to keep you in at night. His touch is light, fingers ghosting over the back of my head, but I know what he’s not finding. Batman frowns as his light caress turns into a quick search.

“Looking for something?” I ask, amused.

He grins ruefully at me. “Okay, where did you put it?” He’s referring to the tracking chip he snuck onto my costume a while back.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” I purr. One hand traces his broad chest lightly. “Are you going to strip-search me?” My expression teases and invites all at the same time.

Batman’s gin widens. “Don’t tempt me. Seriously though – it led me to you, so I know it’s still somewhere on you.”

I offer him my left hand and he takes it, eyes widening as his probing fingers find the chip inside my glove, at the base of my ring finger.

“Why did you leave it?” he asks, not addressing the subject of the chip’s current location.

I shrug. “Why _wouldn’t_ I want you to be able to find me?”

“That’s a lot of trust.”

“You’ve earned it. Remember the cat food factory.” I tilt my head. “There’s just one thing.”

“What’s that?”

My smile slips. “What if I’m not wearing my costume?”

In shock, he drops my hand. “Well, now I know what my next project is going to be,” he says grimly. Behind the mask, his eyes narrow. “Still, that’s a _lot_ of trust for someone as enthusiastic about freedom and independence as you are.”

Again, I shrug. “I know you won’t abuse it, and you’re not the only one trying to get over trust issues.” My smile is tight and painful.

Batman looks at me a long moment, then nods. Without a word he shoots his grapple gun and flies off into the night.

 

*******************************

 

 “Catwoman has been seen breaking into several upscale galleries and apartments,” Gordon says as I silently climb down the wall. “You might want to look into that.”

“I already have,” comes Batman’s gravelly voice. “She’s hiring herself out as a non-profit security consultant. I drop in on her little outings every now and then to make sure she’s on the level. She is.”

There’s silence for a moment before Gordon says, “She’s something special to you, isn’t she?” A pause. “I thought so. Why?”

“How many criminals do I put away, Jim? How many get out of jail and go right back to crime?” He sounds anguished.

“I know what you mean, old friend. It’s depressing and you wonder if you’re even making a difference.”

“Knowing that Selina Kyle turned her back on her criminal ways helps me remember that I _do_ make a difference. I changed a life for the better, and not just the life of someone who would have been a victim.”

I climb back up the building. Before I get more than halfway across the roof, however, there’s a whoosh behind me and I know I’m not alone.

“How long were you there?” Batman demands.

I turn to face him. “Long enough.”

“You heard that, then.”

“Yes.”

Hostility radiates from his body, trying to cover the vulnerability he accidentally let me see – the admission of hos important to him I am, the knowledge of how much power over him I have. He turns-

“Wait! Don’t go,” I continue in a less frantic voice.

Batman looks over his shoulder, unmoved, and I run over to him but stop short of arm’s reach.

“I’m not a fool, Batman. I know the stakes; one wrong move and kitty goes to the pound. But that’s not what’s stopping me.”

“Oh?”

It’s amazing how much cynicism he can pack into one syllable. “One wrong move, and I’ll lose the two most important men in my life: you, and Bruce Wayne.”

“I thought you didn’t care for his company.”

“I do. I pretend that I don’t so that your enemies don’t think he’s you.”

“Dangerous tactic. What if he moves on?”

“Then he’ll still be safe.”

Batman grunts. “He’s a grown man, Selina. He deserves to know the truth and have the opportunity to make that choice for himself. If you don’t tell him, _I will._ ”

Without warning the grapple gun goes off and he grabs me around the waist. I cling to him as we shoot into the air, and when we’re safely away on another roof, he grins.

“You’re almost as good an actor as I am. You know Gordon keeps his roof bugged?

“I suspected. What was with that last line? ‘If you don’t tell him, I will’?”

“Too much?”

“I’m just trying to imagine you telling Bruce Wayne how I feel about him.”

He grins at that. “I guess you better tell him, then. Unless Gordon lets the cat out of the bag and saves you the trouble, that is.”

I smile right back. “That could be amusing, too.”

The grin fades, leaving him looking serious. “I want you to be extra careful. Scarecrow’s out and running loose. Until I track him back down…”

“Don’t worry about me. This alley cat doesn’t scare easily.”

“If he gets you with his fear toxin, you won’t have a choice.”

The wild, primal part of my mind grins in feral joy. “His loss if he does.”


	7. Merry Christmas

The gas is red and it burns. I close my eyes, and when I open them, the room and everyone in it has been replaced by an enormous cage – but that doesn’t last. The bars shrink down, down, down, and I draw myself into a tight ball to evade them, but they keep shrinking until I can’t move. I don’t say anything. I don’t scream. Making any sound just brings-

“Who’s a good little pussy?”

The coarse laugh rolls over me, turning my guts to water and my bones to ice. He looms over me, one hand outstretched to pat or strike, and the fear spikes into rage. Snarling, I lash out and feel cloth tear and flesh give beneath my claws. He fades out, along with the bars of the cage, and again I am in the room and the Scarecrow is in front of me, bleeding hand clutched to his chest.

“Well, that was a miscalculation. Who would have suspected she’d react like that?”

I’m ready to launch myself at his throat – I may not be seeing the cage anymore, but I’m still mindless with fear so intense that it’s kicked me into animalistic fight or flight – when a sharp pain on the back of my neck distracts me. The world goes all wiggly and as I sink to the floor, I can see Batman’s _fine_ legs as he stalks angrily towards my unfortunate kidnapper. There are goons, of course. There are _always_ goons. While the goons entertain my not-boyfriend, Scarecrow makes the mistake of reaching for me again. The cat yowls, claws lashing out, and he staggers back with crimson spreading across his mask. It’s his turn to whimper in fear as I crouch low, ready to spring, but he crashes into some chemical tubes, shattering them. Whatever was inside makes him scream as it soaks his skin, and he thrashes about, yelling himself hoarse. Just as well; it must have been a sedative I got hit with. When a familiar pair of legs stop next to me, I purr loudly and rub against them. Then everything goes black.

 

************************

 

“…no charges. Effects….gas are well-documented………………self-defense. Got what was coming to him, I say.”

The world stops being a muddled mess and solidifies into a pristine hospital room. The speaker is a police officer standing by the door.

“Maybe this will teach the other freaks and loonies to not try to use her as a pawn?”

That voice…I know that voice.

“I wouldn’t lay any bets on it, Mr. Wayne, but things’re liable to be quiet for a while. Hey, looks like she’s coming around.”

The officer dips his head at me, then leaves the room. Bruce sits down in a chair conveniently located next to my bed.

“Selina, how do you feel?”

I don’t protest as he takes my hand in his. “Like something the cat dragged in.”

“You’re lucky Batman got you with that dart. Scarecrow’d been working a nerve toxin into his fear gas. The levels in your blood were three times higher than any previous victim. Court ruled you couldn’t be held liable for anything you did until they dropped back to half a normal dose. It took three days.”

“What about Scarecrow?”

He looks grim at that. “Stumbled into his own chemicals. They got directly into his bloodstream. Between the blood loss and the saturation….he overdosed. It must have been a horrible way to go. Police say it looks like he tried to claw his face off, and very nearly succeeded. Selina…” He hesitates, not wanting to ask but knowing that he needs to. “When they brought you in, you were…feral. They had to keep you sedated because restraints made you go wild. What happened?”

I turn my head, gazing out the window. “There was a man who thought he could control me. He was wrong.”

“No wonder you’re so emphatic about freedom.”

Whole volumes lie unsaid between us.

“The doctors said once you came around, you’d need about a week of bed rest, but that you wouldn’t need to stay here longer than a day for observation.”

I turn my head back. “What are you trying to say, Bruce?”

“It’s almost Christmas, Selina. Maeven’s visiting her family. The thought of you and Isis alone…” He shakes his head. “Please, let me offer you the hospitality of Wayne Manor. Christmas is a hard time of year for people as lonely as we are.”

I want to say no, but I’m just so tired. I’ve been strong for so long…surely it’s okay to let someone pamper the kitty, just this once? I’ve named Maeven the sole inheritor of my worldly goods, but if I die, my business and my cat will go to Bruce. If that hasn’t let the cat out of the bag, then one little visit should be okay, right?

“You’re not going to make me watch _It’s A Wonderful Life,_ are you?”

Bruce laughs. “Good heavens, no. I can barely sit through it myself. So, you’ll come, then?”

Somehow, I find the strength to smile. “Merry Christmas, Bruce.”

 

************************

 

 Bruce drives up to the front door of Wayne Manor, and a distinguished gentleman opens my door. I offer him my hand and he takes it, helping me out of the car while Bruce retrieves my suitcase. Around my neck, Isis stirs at the cold wind but does not wake.

“Welcome to Wayne Manor, Ms. Kyle. I’m so glad you finally accepted one of Master Bruce’s invitations.”

I smile tiredly. “Thank you.”

“I do hope no emergencies interrupt things this year. It’s so inconvenient sometimes when Master Bruce is called away for-“

“Alfred,” Bruce interrupts in Batman’s voice. “She knows.”

The butler takes another, appraising look at me. “Oh. Very good, then. Let’s get you out of the wind, shall we?”

 

************************

 

“Master Dick has just returned for the holidays,” Alfred says as he and Bruce escort me to a cheery living room, fire blazing in the fireplace.

I sink into one of the comfortable leather chairs by the fireplace with a swallowed purr. Bruce takes the other one, my suitcase having been discreetly left by the door. Alfred makes noises about hot mulled cider and vanishes, and I close my eyes, letting the flickering heat wash over me.

“Bruce! You’re back!” The enthusiastic young male voice startles me out of my half-doze. Footsteps pound closer, then stop abruptly. “Oh.”

“Dick, Ms. Selina Kyle. Selina, Dick Grayson.” He doesn’t quite hide a grin as he makes the introductions.

“Charmed,” the younger man says uncertainly, throwing a worried glance at his mentor.

“Don’t worry,” I say reassuringly. “I’m on bed rest this week. If Batman and Robin need to fly, I’ll just take a catnap.”

Dick looks shocked. “You _told_ her?”

“He didn’t need to; I figured it out on my own. I’m a smart kitty.”

Alfred appears at my side, and I wrap my hands gratefully around the mug of hot cider. Isis stirs again as the steam tickles her nose.

“How _did_ you figure it out, anyway?” my host asks.

Isis yawns, stretches, and cautiously begins an exploration of the very comfortable chair before mewing imperiously. I pet her indulgently, and she settles back down, purring.

“Isis doesn’t like most people; she’s too aloof to purr for anyone but me. Not even Maeven, who she’s known for years. But after Batman nursed her back to health, she purred for Bruce Wayne.”

Bruce shakes his head ruefully. “It’s always the one thing you didn’t plan for.”

“Please forgive my impertinence, Ms. Kyle, but if you knew…why did you…?”

“She was protecting my secret,” Bruce answers for me, looking abashed.

“Making sure she didn’t give you away like Isis did. Smart.” Dick looks at me with respect. “Hey, bet you wish you hadn’t turned her in now, eh? You wouldn’t have to worry about someone figuring you out by watching her.”

“If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have as much respect for him as I do.” I ignore the surprise on Bruce’s face. “He had every right to turn me in; he won. He did what he had to do and stayed true to himself. I wouldn’t trust a man who’d betray himself for my sake.”

“But you-“ Bruce cuts himself off.

“I am Cat _woman._ Not the cat burglar.”

He looks relieved, then concerned as I cover a yawn. “Selina, may I show you to your room? Dinner won’t be ready for a few hours; you’ll have plenty of time to settle in and freshen up.”

“Thank you, Bruce.” I accept his hand with a tired smile. “I’ll probably take a nap, though.”

“Scarecrow toxin,” he says to his protégé by way of explanation. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”

 

************************

 

The room is huge and opulent, with glorious windows that face the city.

“I know you don’t do the damsel-in-distress thing,” he says, “and I don’t blame you for that. I’m just glad you’re letting me do this much for you.”

“Every cat knows when it’s time to hole up somewhere safe and lick her wounds.” My head on his arm keeps that from being as cold as it sounds.

“Then I’m glad I can offer you somewhere safe to hole up.”

“Bruce…I want this to be more than just a week of convalescence between friends.” I straighten and face him, cupping his cheek with one hand. “But I won’t endanger your secret.”

He takes my hand and kisses the knuckles. “Maybe it can be. Selina Kyle warms up to Bruce Wayne during her recovery, and Catwoman cools towards Batman?”

“The first part, we can do. The second…”

Bruce nods grimly, equally unwilling to give up our stolen moments of predatory passion. “Still, I think we’ve established that Selina likes Bruce as a friend and a business partner. Given time, it wouldn’t be unusual or suspicious for that to become something more.”

“And given time and no sudden changes, it’s much less likely for anyone to think their budding relationship had anything to do with Batman and Catwoman.”

One eyebrow goes up. “Budding relationship?”

“You _were_ going to contrive to kiss me publicly under the mistletoe, weren’t you?”

“I was,” Bruce admits easily, “but maybe we should practice the kiss first.”

I return his grin. “An excellent idea.”

 

************************  
 

I don’t get it,” Dick says from the doorway.

“Hm?”

He comes over to the chair I’m curled up in, drags another one over, and sits backwards on it. “You know that Bruce has women throwing themselves at him all the time. Pretty ones, rich ones, smart ones, blondes, brunettes, redheads, Asians – you name it. He could have his pick at any time. But you’re not worried. You’re _so_ not-worried that they may as well not even exist, much less be potential competition. You’re not the slightest bit jealous. I just don’t get it. I mean – you _do_ love him, right?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Wow. No offense, but you’re one cool cucumber. You’re like Isis – the world may as well exist just to feed you and give you a place to sleep, and us lowly humans are just something to deal with in between.”

“Thank you,” I say with gentle amusement.

“So why aren’t you worried that one of them will catch Bruce’s eye?”

I smile mildly at him. “The world is divided into predators and prey. Bruce is a predator; the flock of hopeful Mrs. Waynes are all prey. None of them know what it’s like to have the night call to you, to become part of it and stretch your muscles and feel the herd shudder at the wolf lurking in the shadows. None of them would understand the feeling of putting a mask _on_ when you take one _off_.”

Dick is silent for a minute.

“I guess you’re right. I’ve known Bruce for years, and I’ve seen him put on ‘Bruce Wayne, rich bachelor’ like some kind of invisible anti-Bat-suit. I guess there’s really no competition to even be worried about, is there?” He shakes his head. “No wonder he fell for you so fast. You know who you are, what you want, and how you’ll get it. You’re as self-assured-“

“-as a cat?”

“…yeah. And you only purr for him.” Dick laughs suddenly. “Just like a cat. You decided a while back that he was yours, and then waited for him to realize it.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Not quite. He decided he wanted me the day we met – I’d tried to turn him down for the date I’d bought. It took a bit longer to get him to realize that we had to be discreet, and that I was turning down the public gestures, not _him_.”

“You know, I think you’ll be good for him. Make him live a little and remember that he’s a man and not just a man-shaped instrument of justice.” He rubs the back of his neck with one hand. “I’m not saying my childhood was all rainbows and sunshine or anything, but you two – there’s something dark in the two of you, like you went through Hell and came out the other side.”

_Good pussy…_

“I did.”


	8. Harley Quinn (sane)

“What do you think of this one?”

Bruce stares unhappily at his reflection. “I don’t know…”

I finger the material of the blue suit jacket before motioning him to take it off. “You’re right, not with your skin color. Let me get the maroon one…”

While I’m leafing through the rack, a familiarly exuberant female voice cries out, “Hey! Don’t I know you?”

“I…don’t think so?” You’d never guess from that uncertain tone that the answer was ‘yes’.

“There’s somethin’ about that chin…I got it!”

I tense, slinking around just out of sight, ready to pounce…

“You’re that billionaire, Bruce Wayne!” A pause while I peek out and see a pigtailed blonde examine his hand. “Ooh, no ring! Unattached!”

I step out and clear my throat.

“Uh-uh, the jealous girlfri- HEY! You’re Seline Kyle, the Catwoman!” She looks back and forth between me and Bruce. “I thought you were _Batman’s_ girlfriend, though.”

“He never calls,” I retort dryly, “so I went with Door Number Two.” The diamond surrounded by tiny emeralds sparkles on my hand, and she bends over to ooh and aah appreciatively – and professionally.

“Nice ice! Well, I guess I can’t blame ya. Bats really knows how to sweep a girl off her feet – and thirty stories up – but I guess he’s not really the settling-down type, is he? Anyway, Harley Quinn. Sane. Nice ta meetcha! …when we’re not tryin’ ta kill each other, that is.” With a flourish, she presents her release papers from Arkham. “I just got out!” she proclaims proudly. “Gonna live my life right this time!”

Bruce and I exchange a quick look. “Selina’s my fiancée,” he says calmly. “She’s helping me pick out clothes.”

Harley looks wistful. “Wow, you sure got great taste, Ms. Kyle. I ain’t been out in the real world for years. My outfit’s so out of date it may as well have a poodle on it.”

“Call me Selina,” I say soothingly. “Bruce, would you mind if Ms. Quinn and I abandoned you to the sales clerks for a while?”

“Not at all,” he says, seemingly relieved while the ex-clown in question insists I call her Harley. He passes me a credit card. “Here. It’s on me. Can’t start a new life with old clothes, right?”

Harley squeals and jumps up and down. “Wheee! New clothes!”

How can I hold a grudge against someone this innocently enthusiastic? “Come on, Harley,” I grin. “You and me are going to get you a whole new wardrobe.”

 

**********************************************

 

“I really appreciate you helpin’ me out like this,” Harley says quietly as we rifle through skirts. “And not holdin’ a grudge after…you know.”

I put one hand on her shoulder. “Hey, everyone makes mistakes. I know what it’s like trying to go straight after being hauled in by the Batman.”

“That’s the part I never understood. I mean, he hauled you in. Finked on you. And you go back to him?”

“You went back to the Joker,” I point out.

“I guess you’re right, I got no room ta talk. No more, though – that maniac can rot in Arkham. I’m through with him.”

“Good for you! Now, let’s see this one on you…”

 

******************************************

 

“I just don’t know,” she says, digging at her ice cream, boutique bags at her feet. “I mean, being a psychiatrist just doesn’t hold the same appeal for me as it did when I was an intern, and all I really know is crime…how am I going to make a living?”

“You just have to find your niche,” I say, scraping a spoonful of sorbet off the side of the scoop. “Some skill that can be used _for_ the people instead of _against_ them. I run a pretty good non-profit consulting business on the side, helping rich people plug holes in their security systems.”

“Yeah. I don’t wanna rely on that kinda thing, though.” Harley stabs her ice cream some more before taking a big bite.

“Well, what else did you do when you weren’t an accomplice on a heist?”

“Lessee…I drove the car, did the laundry, picked up around the secret base, took care of the hyenas…” she sighs. “I miss my babies.”

“You might want to check with the Gotham Zoo. That’s where they wound up. Maybe they could use your help taking care of the hyenas?”

She looks startled at that. “You mean they might _pay_ me to take care of my babies?” Another dripping spoonful of ice cream meets its fate as she thinks about it. “But what if they want me to have some kinda schooling?”

“You like animals, don’t you? More than just hyenas?”

“Well…yeah…”

“I’d consider you a good investment, then. Helping out a fellow former criminal and the animals at the same time would be well worth the money.”

The ice cream drips off her spoon. “You’d do that? For _me_?”

I give her a feline smile. “I’d rather have you as a friend than an enemy.”

“Wow, Selina. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Just stay on the right side of the law and we’ll call it even, okay?”

She beams at me. “Okay!”


	9. Brucie!

“Brucie! I hear you’re getting hitched!”

We both jerk upright, spines rigid as steel bars, as the Joker’s voice cuts across the chatter like a band saw. Bruce and I share a momentary glance of mutual horror as Joker and his thugs start spreading out from the door, herding the guests back along the walls.

“Uh…that’s right,” Bruce says, sounding nervous in the face of a madman.

“Congratulations! Although…” Joker trails off, looking very mock-concerned. “I’d be careful if I were you. Your Miss Kitty is carrying a torch for old Batsie.”

Despite being briskly relieved of their valuables, the assorted upper crust of Gotham City are all ears. Bruce turns to me, looking so hurt and vulnerable that if I didn’t see the way he was twitching to keep his smile hidden, I’d think I’d just broken his heart.

“Selina, is that true?”

“Can you blame me? Tall, dark, and well-built…he really knows how to sweep a girl off her feet…” And thirty stories straight up, but I don’t have to say that. “He saved my life, and my cat, but he never calls.” A few of the ladies titter. “I’m all yours, Bruce.” I cling to his arm for effect, head laid on his shoulder in a display of surrender.

“Awww, how sweet. It’s making my teeth itch.” Joker scowls at us. “You know, someone once tried to convince me that _you_ were Batman.” One thin finger prods Bruce’s chest. “I didn’t buy it, of course. You’re too much of a _doofus_ to be the Bat.”

Bruce grins sheepishly. “Uh…thanks. I think.”

The goons are done collecting their goods. They move towards us, but Joker waves them off.

“No, no…leave them be. It’s my wedding gift to them!” A wave of grating laughter follows that little pronouncement. “It’s been fun, Brucie, but I’m afraid I’ve gotta dash. Say hello to your Bat friend for me, Miss Kitty, and tell him I’m sorry he missed the party!”

Still laughing like the madman he is, Joker strolls back out the door, goons following, and closes it smartly behind him. Silence reigns for a full thirty seconds as everyone stares at the door, but the Joker doesn’t burst back in with a bomb or anything. Distantly, however, we hear gunfire and police sirens. Three minutes pass with everyone frozen in place as the unseen forces battle it out, then silence again. A single pair of footsteps walks up to the door. There’s a collective gasp as the handle turns, and then Gordon walks in with a sack of valuables in each hand.

“Batman tipped us off that the Joker was headed this way,” he says as he walks up to a seemingly startled Bruce Wayne and hands him the sacks. “We followed him here and he was good enough to help us collar the Joker and his henchmen. Here – I trust you can see these returned to their rightful owners.” He turns to go, then pauses and looks back. “By the way, congratulations to both of you.”

“Thanks, Commissioner!” Bruce Wayne’s slightly-dopey grin follows Gordon out.

 

****************************

 

“So, how’d I do?” Dick asks, kicking back in his upholstered leather chair, hands behind his head.

“Well, you fooled Gordon, so I’d say you did pretty well,” Bruce grins at him. “I almost wish I could thank the Joker.”

Dick sits up, puzzled. “What for?”

“For his lovely wedding gift,” I purr.

“Wedding gift?”

Bruce and I share a glance, grinning widely. “An airtight alibi. It’s hard for me to be Batman when the Police Commissioner says Batman was outside helping him, and even harder when the Joker announces I couldn’t be him.”


End file.
